The Greatest of the Greats

Marquette, Michigan

Go if you want to bask in the enormity of the greatest of the Great Lakes after some breezy trail miles on sandy shoreline ...

Photo by Andy Gregg

GO IF YOU WANT TO BASK in the enormity of the greatest of the Great Lakes after some breezy trail miles on sandy shoreline, smooth hardpacked hills and rocky climbs. Superb trail running is ubiquitous in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and Marquette, situated on the south side of Lake Superior, has over 100 miles of singletrack, as well as an urban trail system linking the city neighborhoods and parks.

With a population of 21,000, Marquette is equal parts civilization and wilderness, with handy bike paths connecting the two. "There are a lot of trail runners because the trails are right outside our backdoors," says local Mary Connor. Two trail clubs, The Hot Flashes (for women of a certain age) and the newer Run Guys and Girls, offer weekend and weeknight trail-running camaraderie and insider knowledge on local routes.